Blank pages do real work in a document: a cover before the first chapter, a separator between sections, an empty back page so a double-sided print starts the next chapter on the right side, or simply a placeholder where content will be added later. PDF Arranger can insert a blank page at any position, in the paper size you choose.
Because the blank is inserted into the arrangement rather than typed onto, it takes a second — and like every other edit here, it only becomes part of the file when you export.
Before you start
You need PDF Arranger 1.14.0 (or a recent version) installed. If it is not on your computer yet, download PDF Arranger first — it is free, open source (GPL-3.0), and works entirely offline, so your files never leave your computer.
Nothing you do in PDF Arranger changes the original file on disk. Every edit only takes effect when you export the result to a new PDF, which makes experimenting safe: if the output is not what you wanted, adjust the arrangement and export again.
Step by step: insert a blank page
- Open the PDF and decide where the blank page belongs.
- Select the page next to the insertion point so PDF Arranger knows where in the sequence you are working.
- Insert the blank page using the add blank page action. A dialog lets you choose the paper size for the new page.
- Choose a size that matches its neighbours — the dialog offers the standard A-series sizes, A4 and A5 for most documents, up to the large A0–A2 sizes added in version 1.14.0, and down to A6. Matching sizes keep printing and on-screen paging consistent.
- Move the blank page by dragging if it landed one position off, then export the document.
Good uses for blank pages
The most common pattern is duplex printing: chapters that must start on a right-hand (odd) page need a blank inserted when they would otherwise start on the back of the previous chapter. Separators are the other classic — a blank page signals a section break in packets assembled from many sources. And a blank first page works as a simple cover when the document will be printed and bound, keeping the first content page clean.
Tips
- If the blank is a placeholder for a real page, you can later merge that page in and delete the blank, or paste content over it using the overlay features.
- A blank page adds almost nothing to file size, so there is no cost to inserting one “just in case” before printing.
- Check the page count parity after inserting blanks in booklet or duplex documents — one blank shifts every following page’s side.
Pairing blanks with duplex printing
The parity trick deserves one more look, because it is where blank pages earn their place. In a double-sided document, odd-numbered pages print on the fronts of sheets and even-numbered pages on the backs. If a chapter must open on a front — as readers expect — and it currently starts on an even page, inserting one blank page before it shifts the chapter to a front and pushes a blank back onto the previous chapter’s last sheet, which is exactly the layout printed books use. After inserting, flip through the following pages: every later chapter’s start side has flipped too, so check the whole document’s parity, not just the chapter you fixed, before exporting and printing.
Related guides
Keep going with these step-by-step guides from the same series: